CURRENT LITERATURE.
The Portfolio (July): The Life of Velasquez. By Walter Arm- strong. (Seeley and Co.)—Mr. Armstrong gives us in this number of the Portfolio a biography of Velasquez, intending to follow it up in due course by another on "The Art of Velasquez." The forty odd years of Velasquez's artistic activity—he was painting when he married in 1618 (at the age of nineteen) and he died in 1660—were very largely productive. Much that is attributed to his hand probably belongs to others, or, at most, was touched up by him, but the works of undoubted genuineness make up a large amount. His industry is all the more remarkable on account of his official position. He was an official, and during the last eight years of his life a very busy official ; for he was Palace Marshal, and had charge of the King's household. In the life itself there was but little incident. The chief varieties in it were visits to Italy, to which country he went twice. On the first occasion he remained from August 20th, 1629, to February, 1631; on the second he reached Italy late in 1648 and returned in June, 1651. Bath visits gave occasion for some admirable work ; the latter especially gave him the opportunity of painting the portrait of Pope Innocent X., one of the very finest presentments of a marked and vigorous personality that the world of art possesses. The reader will easily understand that though there is not any great biographical interest in this volume it serves most satisfactorily as a resume of the extent and nature of Velasquez's work. The critical estimate we are to have hereafter. The illustrations have all the excellence that we are accustomed to find in the Portfolio. There are four plates, among which "Prince Ferdinand" and "The Infante Baltasar Carlos" are especially good; of illustra- tions in the text there are between thirty and forty.
It is needless to do more than chronicle the appearance of the annual volume, the thirty-fourth, of the New Series of The Annual Register (Longmans and Co.) The contents are as usual,—(1) English History ; (2) Foreign History ; (3) Chronicle of Events in 1895; (4) Retrospect of Literature, Science, and Art ; (5) Obituary.—Another annual publication of which we welcome the reappearance is Bourne's Handy Assurance Directory, by William Schooling (Literary Bureau, 10 Blooms- bury Square). "One of the changes," writes the editor in his preface, "made in this Directory that has met with the greatest appreciation is the greatly increased space devoted to Premium Rates." Some of the facts given in the volume are not a little surprising. Almost exactly five hundred million pounds are assured in various ways. This is an increase of nearly eighty millions since 1888. One hundred and twenty millions more must be added for "Industrial Assurarmes. Of eighty seven Companies given not quite forty have funds equal to one-third of the amount assured, a proportion that is considered desirable for safety. Among these are the Equitable (with -72 per cent.), Rock (-67), Liver- pool, London, and Globe (-53), Uuited Kent (-53), Hand-in-Hand (-51), Clergy Mutual (.44). No one should complete an assurance of his life without first consul- in g this manual. Comparing premium rates, we find that the Ab tainers and General makes the lowest charge, Al 13s. 9d., followad by the Economic with
.21 15s. 5d., and the Clergy Mutual with Al 16s., while the Equitable charges .22 4s. Gd. This for the age of twenty-one. But at the other end of the scale the Equitable is .26 7s. 4d. ; while the Economic is £6 8s. id., the Abstainers .26 us. 4d., and the Clergy Mutual .27 is. 6d.
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